Reunited
by Just Page
Summary: [Previously posted on Sweet fansite] Lana hasn't seen Clark and company for a couple of years, but she needs some support with her upcoming custody battle and taking care of her daughter, Kyla. From a couple of meetings...things just escalate. [Complete]
1. I & II

**AN:** This is an old story that I wrote on Sweet over a year ago, but I wanted to repost it here. Be sure to read and review.

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**Chapter I**

The steady tapping of rain on the window should have lulled her to sleep hours ago, but there was too much on her mind to even consider sleeping. She sighed and opened her green eyes to glance at her clock.

3:57

Sighing, she slipped out of her bed, silently padding out of her room and over to the couch. Might as well look out the window and sort through her thoughts. She ran her fingers through her raven hair. She was newly divorced with an upcoming trial for custody of her seven-year-old daughter.

Lana turned her thoughts to Mike. The bastard. He didn't care about their daughter. She couldn't figure out what she ever saw in him. The only good thing that had come of their marriage was her gorgeous little girl. It was when their daughter had turned five that the issues really came into light. When she approached him about his drinking problem, he had started yelling at her, with their daughter in the room.

Her little girl had huddled in the corner of the room, wide-eyed and scared, watching her father unleash his fury on her mother. It was when Mike had started coming home drunk and would scream at their daughter that pushed her over the edge. They had tried marriage counseling, and she had once tried to convince him to go to rehabilitation, but nothing worked.

"Mommy?" A timid voice jerked her out of her thoughts. Lana lifted her eyes from the floor to the doorway. The center of her universe stood meekly by the door, her hazel-green eyes watching her mother.

"Did the storm wake you?" She smiled warmly at her daughter, patting the couch beside her welcomingly. Her daughter hurriedly made her way over to sit by her mother as lightning flashed outside. Lana put an arm around her daughter's shoulders reassuringly.

"Mommy, tell me the story about the tornado again." The little girl snuggled against her mother securely. Lana laughed softly and rubbed her shoulder, a light smile gracing her lips.

"You never get tired of that story do you, Kyla?" She chuckled, brushing Kyla's soft, silky raven hair out of her face. "Well, it was the day my boyfriend, Whitney, was leaving to join the army. I was driving back from the bus station and out of nowhere, a row of mailboxes slammed into my windshield. I lost control of the truck and ended up swerving into a ditch." Lana looked down into her daughter's wide eyes before continuing.

"I opened the door and fell out of the car. I made my way over to the road, trying not to be pushed back by the vicious wind. There were three tornadoes heading right for me, so I ran back to the truck, jumped in, and tried to call 911 on my cell phone, but the service was out. The tornado had almost reached the truck when Clark just kind of appears. I scream out for him just as the tornado reaches me. I'm lifted into the air by the tornado. I roll off the front seat and lay face down on the floor, thinking that I'm going to die; but next thing I know, or at least what I think happened, Clark was on top of me, saying that everything would be okay. After that I remember waking up in the hospital."

"Clark saved you." Kyla told her, smiling confidently. Lana stroked her little daughter's hair affectionately. Her little girl was so sweet, so adorable. That just gave her even more reason to have sole custody of her. Mike didn't give a damn about her.

"Now, off to bed with you." Lana hugged her for a moment before gesturing to the door. Kyla giggled and kissed her mother on the cheek, before scurrying off to her room. She smiled after her, sitting back on the couch. One way or another, Lana would do everything possible to have her child.

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"Hey Clark, could you e-mail me the sources for that bank robbery article?" The young woman grinned at her long time friend.

"I'm on it Chloe." He grinned back before sitting in front of her laptop and pulling up a document. "So how's little Maria doing since I last saw her?"

"She's fine, but somehow Pete's successfully been able to get her to turn down all my offers to show her my make-up. He's dead set on keeping her a tomboy." Chloe sighed, smiling as a third woman slid into the desk chair beside them.

"That's not a big surprise. If you had a son, then you'd be able to at least attempt to get her involved in more girl activities." Lois chipped in as she opened her own laptop.

Lois Lane, Chloe Sullivan-Ross, and Clark Kent. The three biggest reporters in Metropolis, and also very close friends. Clark and Lois had dated for a while, but they broke it off after a few months, agreeing to just be friends. Chloe was happily married to Pete Ross with a daughter, but used the last name 'Sullivan' in her articles.

"I bet Pete's enjoying every minute of it too." Clark grinned, chuckling, as he sent the e-mail to Chloe.

"Of course he is. He doesn't have a son, so he treats our daughter like a boy to make up for it." Chloe brushed her hair out of her face, mock-scowling at Clark and Lois' laughter at her situation.

"Don't worry Chlo, once she hits thirteen, she'll start going out, liking boys, maybe not wearing make-up, but still…." Lois shrugged, smirking at her cousin teasingly. Chloe grumbled under her breath, turning back to her laptop. Lois and Clark exchanged a grin and chuckled.

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"_My client would like to grant sole custody to the mother."_

Lana let these words run through her head. He hadn't even wanted to fight for his daughter, but that was fine by her. Kyla held her hand, brightly walking alongside her mother.

Now that Mike was out of both of their lives, they could have a fresh start, a much better life. She had everything she could have wanted. She had her precious daughter, a good job, a home, and money wasn't an issue. Well, she had almost everything.

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**Chapter II**

"Chloe Sullivan here." The ace journalist answered, flipping her black cell phone open and resuming her work on her article on her laptop. Lois and Clark would be back at any moment from a little errand to pick up lunch for the three of them.

"Chloe?" That voice was really familiar, but she hadn't been in contact with her for a little over three years. Chloe stopped her typing to sit back in her chair, brow furrowed in confusion. "Lana? Lana Lang?"

"I guess it's a bit of a shock, me calling you after all this time." Lana sounded nervous, uncertain. Chloe shrugged mentally, settling more into her chair. "I-I was just hoping you could do me a huge favor."

"Oh, uhm, sure. Of course Lana. What's your dilemma?" Chloe smiled curiously, her blue-green eyes trailing over the text on her computer screen. Her mind was racing, going over possible reasons that Lana would call her of all people.

"I have to go to work, you know I'm a fashion designer, and I can't take my daughter with me." Chloe raised an eyebrow at this, trying to figure out where this was heading. "I was hoping you could take her for the day, just until 8:00." At this Chloe beamed, pleased that she was the one Lana wanted to look after her little daughter. She had actually never seen Lana's daughter.

"I'd be honored. I've never seen your daughter before, Lana. Where is her father, anyway?" Chloe asked, curious. Her question was met with a slightly downcast sigh, and a slow intake of air.

"We just recently divorced." Lana said, sounding a little bitter. "There had a custody trial about a week ago. He didn't want anything to do with my daughter, before the trial he said that she was a liability, too much trouble to be bothered with."

"He's sounds like a bastard, if you don't mind me saying. Of course, I'll be glad to take her, are you going to bring her over or should I come and pick her up from your apartment?" Chloe stood up from her desk, stretching out her arms and legs.

"I'll bring her by in a few minutes, and thanks again Chloe, I really owe you." Lana told her gratefully, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Anytime Lana, that's what friends are for. See you in a few Lana, bye." Chloe bade her good-bye and slowly closed the phone just as Clark and Lois strolled over to her desk, carrying bags of their lunch. It was going to be a very interesting day.

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"Mommy, where are we?" Kyla held her mother's hand tightly, her hazel-green eyes taking in everything as they entered the Daily Planet building. Lana smiled down at her, leading the little girl over to an elevator.

"This is the Daily Planet, honey. It's a newspaper. A friend of mine works here." Lana explained to her daughter, walking into the elevator and pressing the button for the tenth floor. Kyla looked at the buttons curiously, before turning to look around the elevator more thoroughly.

Soon enough, a mild 'bing' sound echoed in the elevator and the doors slid open, allowing mother and daughter to walk out. It didn't take long for Lana to spot her friend, a smile spreading on her face. Kyla was looking around at all the people, seemingly intimidated.

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"Lana! It's so good to see you." Chloe Sullivan cheerfully hugged her for a moment before standing back. Her green eyes trailed down to the little girl hiding behind Lana's legs. Chloe smiled gently, crouching down so that she was eye level with the girl.

"Hey there, I'm a friend of you mommy." She said a welcoming smile on her lips. She took in the girl's appearance. It was amazing how much she looked like her mother. Straight, silky raven hair, bright green eyes, and unmarred tanned skin.

"I've gotta go to work. Don't worry sweetie, Chloe will take care of you. I'll be back at eight. Chloe, her name is Kyla." Lana brushed Kyla's hair gently, before entering the elevator and leaving her daughter with Chloe.

"C'mon, I'll show you my desk." Chloe said energetically, leading her through the number of desks. Lois and Clark looked up from their laptops, watching Chloe with the little girl curiously.

"Chlo, who's kid is that?" Lois asked, raising an eyebrow. Chloe poked her cousin in the shoulder, in a reprimanding fashion.

"Be nice. This is Lana's daughter, Kyla." She saw Clark's eyes widen at the mention of Lana. His eyes moved immediately to Kyla, who was shyly looking at the ground, little hands clasped in front of her. Lois curiously took in the little girl as well, examining her appearance.

"She's gorgeous." Lois stated simply, nodding. Clark was inclined to agree. How had he not seen the resemblance before? They had the same fair skin, the same intelligent, gentle eyes, even the same silky hair.

"My name is Lois Lane, I'm Chloe's cousin." She then pointed over to Clark. "And that is Clark Kent, he's known your mommy since they were your age." At this Kyla lifted her eyes to Clark, amazed.

This was going to be an interesting afternoon indeed.


	2. III & IV

**Chapter III**

Clark had let Kyla sit on his desk, beside his computer. She was certainly small enough to do so without knocking anything off or over. Kyla was a surprisingly quiet, where as most kids, such as Chloe's daughter, were energetic and bouncing off the walls.

"You saved my mommy."

Clark looked up at the little girl, utterly confused. What on earth was she talking about? Had Lana been telling her daughter about the unexplained events in Smallville or was it something else?

"My mommy tells me the story about the tornado in Smallville." Kyla watched Clark in awe, her green-hazel eyes bright and curious. "You saved her from the tornado, she just doesn't know how."

Clark laughed and brushed a strand of dark brown hair out of Kyla's face, smiling gently at the little girl. She truly was adorable. He couldn't understand why her father hadn't wanted to fight for her. He certainly would have. But from what Chloe had told them about her father, he was a drunken, self-centered bastard.

"Well, your mommy and I were really very close friends when we were in high school, Kyla." He told her lightly, a small smile on his face. For some reason, Kyla's eyes lit up at this and she smiled happily.

"You can be my new daddy!" She said, sounding completely thrilled with the prospect of him being her father. Lois and Chloe looked up at him after hearing this, both wearing identical grins.

"Wha-?" Before Clark could say or do anything, Kyla had wrapped her arms around his neck, sitting on his lap. Clark looked up at Chloe and Lois helplessly, mouthing 'What do I do?'

The pair of cousins simply smiled back and went back to typing, leaving him with Lana's daughter, who had now made it quite clear that she wanted Clark to be her daddy. He awkwardly rubbed the little girl's back, before suddenly having an idea and pulling the girl to arm's length.

"Why didn't you like your real daddy?" Clark asked, the question catching Lois and Chloe's attention again. The two women looked up from their work, watching Clark and Kyla curiously.

"I didn't like him, he yelled at me and mommy a lot." Kyla said in a small voice, sounding downcast. It made Clark wonder if he had perhaps done more to her than just yell.

"Well, you don't have to worry about him anymore." Lois broke the silence by picking up the girl in her arms and smiling. "Chloe and I will personally make sure he doesn't bother you ever again….and Clark will too."

Kyla brightened again at this and instead wrapped her arms around Lois' neck, settling comfortably against her. Lois looked very pleased that the little girl was relaxed enough around her to do so. Chloe gave her cousin an encouraging smile. Lois had always wanted a child, and was thinking of adopting, since she was single. Clark grinned at the sight of Kyla and Lois, turning back to his work.

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Lana impatiently waited for the elevator to reach to right floor, glaring at the button. She needed to know that her daughter was alright, it was first day in a long time that they had been apart for more than a half-hour. There was a resounding 'bing' that signaled the stop of the elevator and the two metallic silver doors slid open, allowing the mother to gladly get off the machine.

"Mommy! Mommy!" The sweet sound of her young daughter's voice reached her as the girl bulleted over to her mother. Lana crouched down and wrapped her arms around her daughter, smiling gratefully up at Chloe, who had followed her young charge.

"Mommy, I met Clark! He's the one who saved you; he's my new daddy!" Kyla puffed out her little chest proudly, pointing at the figure of Clark Kent, who stood back slightly, a bit of bewilderment on his face. The moment her eyes met Clark's, her heart starting beating faster and she felt butterflies in her stomach.

"Thanks again Chlo, you're a life saver." Lana told the reporter, holding her little girl in her arms securely. Her friend waved it off, smiling as she went back over to her desk, leaving Clark and Lana alone. "So, daddy, huh?"

"She got it in her head that she wants me to be her daddy. She said she didn't like her real daddy. That he yelled at you two a lot?" Clark said with concern in his voice. A couple of things Kyla did while she was with them had made him increasingly worried. Like the fact that whenever one of them had raised their hand, she stiffened up, as if expecting something, always relaxing after they put their hands down.

"Yeah. Mike, isn't a good person. He's a drunk. I don't want my daughter exposed to him, and I don't want her to have to face his drunken rages." Lana said, hugging her daughter lightly.

"I can understand that." Clark nodded. He didn't want little Kyla to have to experience those either. In the time they had spent together, he had grown rather attached to the young girl. "So, how did you come up with the name Kyla, anyway?" He was rather curious about that.

"So you remember the girl you met when we were in high school? Her name was Kyla, she was a skinwalker." Lana said slowly, a soft smile gracing her features. "I named my Kyla after that one in honor of her memory." She had named her child Kyla because the girl had meant so much to Clark.

The pair shared a moment of silence before Lana broke it, bidding him goodbye as she entered the elevator with her daughter again, smiling at Clark. The farmboy-turned-reporter had an almost goofy smile on his face. He had a feeling he'd be seeing a lot of Lana from now on.

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**Chapter IV**

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Several days passed since she had last asked Chloe to look after her daughter, and in that time, one if the worst things she could have imagined had taken place. Mike had been granted the right to have time spent with his daughter every Friday. She had been completely dumbstruck at this, and extremely worried about his ulterior motives for his sudden interest in their daughter. Lana was still trying to figure out how to explain to her daughter that she would be spending seven hours, approximately, with her father every Friday.

"Kyla, honey." Lana sat her daughter in her lap on the couch, forcing a smile onto her face. "You're going to be spending some time with Mike today." Lana had refrained from referring to Mike as 'daddy' or anything of the sort, and that was how Kyla had come to know who they were talking about. At her mother's words, the cute seven-year-old frowned, looking confused and slightly scared. "He'll be coming to get you any minute, Kyla."

After hearing this Kyla seemed to become distraught, but Lana couldn't do much about it because just as she was about to say something there was a heavy knock on the door, indicating that Mike had arrived. Lana set her daughter reluctantly on the ground and walked over to the door, taking her time. Mike's cold, unnerving dark eyes skimmed past Lana, to Kyla, who had her green-hazel eyes fixed on the floor.

"Let's go kid." Mike ordered gruffly, walking in and grabbing Kyla's arm roughly. "We'll see you later, Lana." The man sneered as he pulled his daughter out of the apartment. Kyla gave her mother one last fleeting look before the door closed.

Lana felt like crying at the look she gave her, feeling her heart being torn to shreds. Kyla seemed to have gotten the impression that she had done something wrong, that she had made her mother mad at her, and was being punished by being sent away with Mike. The young woman picked up her cell phone. She needed company at the moment -- anyone to make her feel less guilty.

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"Don't worry Lana, we only have 110 minutes left until Kyla comes home." Chloe told her friend soothingly, inwardly seething at whoever had given that-that…man, permission to have little Kyla for seven hours. Lois and Clark traded concerned expressions before turning back to watch over Lana.

Suddenly a beeping sound echoed throughout the apartment. Lois blinked and shoved her hand into her jeans pocket, pulling out her pager. She glared at the miniscule contraption for a moment, before sighing and looking at the other three. "It's Perry, I gotta go, or he'll have all of our heads."

After Lois departed, reluctantly, Clark moved to sit beside Lana, who was staring at her watch, as if hoping that this might somehow speed up time. Clark rubbed her back comfortingly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders on instinct. The minutes slowly ticked by, and Lana had her eyes closed, fretfully waiting for her daughter. Chloe sat on one side of her, while Clark sat on the other, each offering their comfort and support.

A little less than two hours passed, and they were all jerked out of their silent, apprehensive states by a loud knock on the door. Lana leapt up and shot to the door, throwing it open. Her eyes immediately flew down to her daughter. Wait…something was different….

"Here's the kid back, I'll be here for her next Friday." Mike smirked after giving his daughter a rather forceful shove in the back, making her go inside. Lana shut the door sharply without a word to Mike, her green eyes scanning over her daughter's appearance. Chloe seemed relieved just to see her again; she had been worried about her friend's daughter. Lana suddenly realized what was so different.

Kyla hadn't come running in to her when she opened the door, as she usually did after being away from her mother. In fact, the little girl was rather quiet, her eyes on the ground, her tiny hands clasped in front of her. Lana felt Clark move by her to pick up her daughter, smiling gently. Kyla looked up at him and seemed to become more relaxed, a small, delighted smile on her face.

However, within less than two minutes, Lana's daughter had fallen asleep, her head resting on Clark's shoulder. Chloe, Lana, and Clark exchanged perplexed glances. After tucking her into bed, Clark emerged from Kyla's room, seeing Chloe and Lana talking in low voices.

"What could she have done to make her that tired?" Chloe asked him abruptly, her blue-green eyes meeting his. The reporter sighed and sank onto the couch beside his colleague, just as clueless as she was. Chloe glanced from Clark to Lana and stood up, stretching.

"I'd better be going, Pete expected me home from work over a half-hour ago. See you tomorrow Clark." She smiled and, before either could protest, left the apartment, an amused smile playing on her lips. Both Clark and Lana stared at the floor, thinking _'She set us up.'_


	3. V & VI

**Chapter V**

She groggily opened her eyes, blinking at the white ceiling, trying to figure out what had woken her up. Oh….screaming. Screaming?! Lana's eyes snapped open as she shot out of bed. Lana literally flew into her daughter's room, heart pounding in her chest.

"Kyla? Kyla!" She gently shook her daughter, who was crying, shaking violently. In the back of her mind, the young woman was perplexed. Kyla hadn't had a nightmare in at least five months, at least none this bad.

Her thoughts quickly focused back to her daughter when the small girl opened her wide, fearful hazel eyes. The moment she seemed to register who it was, she started crying again, wrapping her tiny arms around Lana's waist.

"Shh, its okay sweetie, mommy's here." Lana murmured softly, tracing soothing circles on her daughter's back. It took a couple of minutes for the girl to stop crying, but she still sniffled occasionally.

"Baby, what were you dreaming about?" Lana asked her young daughter gently, still rubbing her back. What a coincidence that the first time she had a nightmare in months, was the first day Mike had taken her. Kyla looked up at her mother at her question and shook her head vigorously, still looking scared. Lana didn't push the subject, not willing to upset her child even more.

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"That bastard did something to my daughter!" Lana felt like screaming as she paced back and forth in front of Chloe. The blonde journalist was biting down on one of her knuckles, a worried expression on her face as she thought. Clark had taken a rather uncharacteristically nervous Kyla out to get a treat, leaving Chloe and Lana to go over theories about what had happened.

"When you woke her up, you said she seemed…scared?" Chloe asked slowly, her thoughts trailing back to the way she had acted when they did certain things the first time she looked after her. Lana ceased pacing in front of Chloe, nodding slowly, curiously watching her friend.

"Do you know if that man-Mike-has ever…hit her? Or if he…" The journalist felt a pang in her heart at the thought, trailing off before she could finish her sentence. Lana's eyes widened in realization, drawing in breathe silently.

"You think he beat her? Or that he-" Lana broke off, not willing to go on, feeling even worse than Chloe. She had been going to ask "Or that he molested her?" But of course, as a mother, she couldn't bear to think about it. Lana's green eyes darkened with fury at the thought. Before she could voice all of the extremely violent and brutal threats that were swimming around her mind, the door opened silently, Clark walking in with Kyla sleeping in his arms.

"Lana, you should see this." He said quietly, setting the napping girl on the couch beside her mother. Lana shot over, Chloe following. The reporter gently pushed the sleeves of Kyla's dark violet shirt up and Lana choked back a cry.

There were bruises so close together that they seemed to make up one large purplish blue bruise. Shuddering, the mother gently pushed up the sleeve even more, feeling tears prickle at the corners of her green eyes. More bruises greeted them as they pushed up the other sleeve too. How could she have missed those? Lana sat back, staring down at her daughter, her sweet young daughter.

"I'm a terrible mother." She whispered, tears welling up in her eyes. Clark sat down beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. Chloe was busy looking for even more bruises, which she discovered on Kyla's ribs after lifting up her shirt. Chloe and Clark traded glances.

"You are a great mother." Clark assured her, rubbing Lana's back soothingly. Lana had her eyes squeezed shut, trying to hold back the tears threatening to spill out. "It's not your fault that Mike is a bastard."

"I should have done something. Why didn't I see this before? Why didn't I notice?" Lana murmured, watching Chloe hold her daughter in her arms securely. Chloe was rocking the raven-haired little girl back and forth, brushing her hair out of her face occasionally. Kyla seemed to be utterly relaxed, curling up like a cat in Chloe's arms.

"Lana, it is not your fault. Now we know what's going on, if she still has to go with him on Friday, I'll follow them; maybe even Chloe will come with me." Clark glanced up at his colleague, who nodded determinedly. Lana didn't seem very reassured, but she nodded anyway, watching her little daughter with a downcast expression.

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Chloe tucked little Kyla into her bed, looking down at the girl, her mind racing. She was wondering about her own daughter, Maria, and grimaced, thinking about what Lana was going through. Chloe knew that she would feel ten times worse than she did know if her precious daughter was in that situation.

The former 'Torch' editor stood to leave the room, but Kyla started shivering, whimpering softly. Chloe turned around again, and her heart melted at the sight of the little girl. She couldn't possibly leave her now. Lightly, the mother traced comforting circles on Kyla's back.

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Lana had fallen asleep against Clark's chest, with Clark rubbing her arms gently, soothing her lightly. Chloe quietly closed the door to Kyla's room, and smiled at the sight of Clark and Lana. They looked so perfect together. She silently sat down beside them, looking down at her friend.

"We'll help her with this, right?" Clark said, glancing up questioningly at Chloe, his green eyes glittering slightly. Chloe smiled softly and nodded.

"Of course." She examined Lana's sleeping form. "They'll both need it. Lana with reassurance about her parenting capability; and Kyla will need help with…everything." Chloe finished, glancing towards Kyla's bedroom door with a sigh. "Anyway, I'd better go. Can you manage here?" Chloe said, standing up, looking into Clark's eyes.

"Of course, go home. You have your own family to think about." Clark told her, a reassuring grin crossing his face. Chloe nodded and, quietly as she could, slipped out of the apartment.

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**Chapter VI**

Lana found herself lying on the couch, covered with a dark violet blanket. A very, very nice smell reached her and she blearily looked around, curious.

"Clark?"

"How'd you sleep, Lana?" Clark smiled gently, an amused expression crossing his face at the sight of his sleepy friend. Lana nodded, watching Clark cooking breakfast with a curious glint in her eyes.

"The best I've slept in a while. I didn't know you could cook." She raised an eyebrow at him, smiling slightly as he moved some bacon onto a plate. "Isn't Clark Kent just full of surprises?"

"I'm full of surprises, aren't I Lana Lang?" Clark said in a teasing manner as he shifted her arms after dropping two pancakes onto the plate with bacon. The smile flickered slightly on his face, the look of worry fading after an instant.

"Mommy? Daddy?"

The voice of her daughter caused Lana to automatically turn around, smiling gently at her little girl. Kyla sleepily rubbed her eyes, looking up at her mother and Clark. Lana made a gesture for her to come over to the couch. The young raven-haired girl, who looked so much like her mother, clambered onto the couch. Her mother immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulder, hugging her daughter close, as if afraid to let go.

Clark noticed that Kyla winced slightly when her mother touched her arm and cast a look at Lana, shaking his head slightly. Taking the hint, Lana loosened her grip, as to not cause her daughter any more pain. "Where's Aunt Chloe?" Lana glanced up at Clark. Aunt Chloe? Clark grinned at her, stifling laughter.

"She had to go home, sweetie." Lana told her daughter, an amused smiled playing across her lips. Kyla simply snuggled more against her mother in response to this. Lana and Clark exchanged slightly apprehensive looks, before Lana lightly pulled back, her daughter looking up at her, an expression of worry in her hazel-green eyes.

"Kyla," Lana pulled back the girl's sleeves, revealing the dark, brutal looking bruises that covered her arms. Kyla's hazel eyes widened in fear as she worriedly looked up at her mother. "Where did you get these? Did Mike hurt you?" Lana had to use every ounce of strength she possessed when her daughter gave a tiny, reluctant nod, eyes downcast.

"Why?" Clark asked, breaking the silence that had followed Lana's question. Kyla shook her head, eyes fixed on the floor. Lana and Clark traded glances, silently communicating with each other. The lights flickered and then, extinguished completely. The two adults glanced up at the ceiling, confused. And then, Lana looked down at Kyla, and her mouth fell open in pure shock. Kyla's eyes were glowing with a dark violent aura. One thing came to mind.

Countess Margaret Isobel Theroux.

However, just as suddenly as it started, the glow faded in Kyla's eyes, and the lights flickered back to life.

"But-" Lana stuttered, gazing down at her little daughter in shock. She attempted to speak again, but as soon as she opened her mouth, the only thing that came out was a little squeak. Kyla blinked, and then looked up at her mother, brow furrowed in confusion.

"How long have you been able to do that?" Clark finally asked, voicing the question that was on Lana's mind, but she couldn't exactly find her voice. Kyla wrinkled her nose cutely, thinking. Then, as if coming to a conclusion she shrugged.

"I don't know. Is it bad?" Kyla seemed worried at this new prospect. Lana quickly wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"Of course it's not bad, sweetie. It was just unexpected, Kyla." She assured the young girl. Kyla turned back to gaze curiously at Clark. Lana and Clark traded another perplexed glance. Oh, these-these powers made it clear that Lana would never have a dull moment while raising her daughter.

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Chloe opened the front door, which was just outside of Metropolis so she didn't have to live in an apartment. Clark and Lana stood there, with Kyla in her arms.

"I hope were not interrupting anything." Lana said, looking sheepish. As she spoke, Chloe's daughter, Maria, came running out to stand by her mother. She had light blonde hair, clear blue eyes and light, fair skin. The girl, who seemed to be right at Kyla's age, wore jeans, a grey t-shirt and a backwards, blue baseball cap.

"Hi! My name's Maria! What's yours?" She piped up cheerfully, gazing up at Kyla with curiosity. Lana put Kyla down, glancing up at Chloe curiously.

"I'm Kyla." The little girl looked at this stranger's attire, smiling in an almost confused fashion.

"Maria, why don't you and Kyla go do… something." Chloe suggested, smiling. Maria and Kyla scurried off into the house, chattering to each other.

"Fast friends there." Chloe mused, shutting the door behind Clark and Lana, leading them into the living room. "Pete, look who's here."

Chloe's husband looked up, stared at the pair for a moment and then leapt to his feet, hugging Clark and laughing.

"Clark! Good to see you man!" He let go of his best friend and turned to Lana, hugging her briefly. "It's been too long, Lana. What, six years?"

"Just about." Lana said, sitting down on the couch beside Clark. Pete sat in an armchair, and Chloe took a seat beside Lana. "I need to talk to you about Kyla."

"That cute little girl who came through here with Maria?" Pete questioned, glancing sideways at his wife. Chloe nodded, turning back to listen to the pair.

"Anyway, Chloe, you remember Isobel, right? This morning, somehow, she made the lights flicker out and her eyes were glowing. Like my eyes did when I was possessed by Isobel."


	4. VII & VIII

**Chapter VII**

Lana sat on the windowsill, gazing out at the bustling city of Metropolis. She had talked to Chloe and Pete about her daughter's powers, trying to figure out how she had acquired them. Chloe, as usual, had come up with one of her old trademark "Wall of Weird" explanations.

Apparently, since Isobel was her ancestor, which had meant that each generation after her had magic powers, even if they hadn't known about them. So, Lana had passed down whatever powers she had, to her daughter.

That had been enough new information for one night. She was a witch, and her little daughter was a witch. The only difference was that Kyla had been able to access her abilities.

She sighed, closing her eyes and lightly pressing her forehead against the glass, thinking with a small frown on her lips. Her thoughts changed quickly from the witch-factor, to the bruises Kyla had gotten after staying with Mike for a day. An angry growl escaped her throat, remembering the extent of said bruises.

The young mother almost fell backwards after a couple of indigo sparks leapt from the tip of her fingers at the extremely violent thoughts she was having about her ex-husband. Well, she obviously still had her powers. She yawned and glanced down at her watch to check the time. 6:47 A.M.

Lana was immensely surprised when there was a rustling outside and the door opened, revealing Clark. She smiled genuinely, rubbing her eyes again in an attempt to wake herself up. Lana had given Chloe, Clark and even Lois, keys to her apartment, because she knew that now that they had reconnected, they would be around her a lot.

"Hey Clark." She welcomed her high-school friend with a tired smile. He went to stand by her with a small nod of greeting. He sat on the floor, legs stretched out in front of him as he looked up at her warmly.

"Perry had Chloe, Lois and I working on a story. We only just got off about three hours ago. He would've made us stay longer, but Chloe was demanding that he let them off so she could go see her daughter and husband." The both shared a quiet laugh at this, because they could both just picture Chloe Sullivan demanding things of her boss.

"Lana," Clark broke the comfortable silence that had settled there. The raven-haired girl looked him in the eye. "How is Kyla doing? How are her—her bruises healing up? Anything get broken?" Clark asked. He had had trouble finishing his question, feeling his fury rise up in his chest at the thought of the little girl's injuries.

"Kyla's been having nightmares on and off since then. The bruises are still pretty sore, and there's this one place on her ribs where it's s-still kinda of green and purple. But no, there weren't a-any serious problems." Lana felt really queasy as she thought of that one rather bad bruise that had failed to fade as much as the other ones did.

Both adults fell silent, trying to figure out what they were going to do about Mike. Then there was a knock on the door. Lana and Clark traded hesitant looks, before Lana stood up and went to answer the door. A stiff-looking man in a suit stood with papers in his hand.

"Miss Lang?"

"Y-yes?" Lana managed to stutter out, recognizing the man as Mike's lawyer. She saw his eyes flit to look over her shoulder, resting on Clark for a few seconds before moving back to her face.

"Mr. Bennett wants your daughter out of your care. He is suing to have your child placed in foster care, on the terms that neither of you is a fit guardian." The lawyer informed her, handing her the papers. "We'll see you in court."

hr 

Lana numbly stood beside her lawyer, apprehensively awaiting the judge's verdict. Lois, Chloe and Clark sat behind the fence in the section of seats on her side. Kyla was sitting between Chloe and Clark. Mike had a smug smirk on his disgusting face.

"Mr. Bennett and Ms. Lang," The judge paused, his eyes flickering over to Mike for a split-second. Lana narrowed her eyes at the judge's behavior. Something was very wrong with this hearing.

"Your daughter, Kyla Danielle Lang Bennett, will be placed into Social Services immediately. You will have contact with her only if her foster family allows it. Court dismissed."

Lana stared at the judge, Judge McAdams, her blood running cold. No. 'Nononononono!' was the only thought racing through her mind. A majority of the people on Mike's side started clapping and others were beginning to leave. A woman, Social Services worker Lana assumed, stood and strode over to where Clark and the others were standing with her daughter.

The young mother had shot over to her little girl without realizing it. She wanted to cry, to scream. But she was too stricken and shocked to cry. Kyla immediately hugged her mother the moment she saw her, smiling happily. Chloe and Lois seemed to be in the same grief-stricken, stunned state she was in.

"Ms. Lang." The Social Services worker stood there expectantly. Kyla looked up at the woman curious, and then back to Lana. "Ms. Lang, I need to take her."

"Mommy?" Kyla stared at her mother uncertainly, her face clearly showing her confusion. Lana glanced up at the hovering woman before turning her full attention to her young daughter.

"Kyla, listen to me. I love you. You did absolutely nothing wrong. I will always love you, Kyla. Understand?" The Social Services woman took Kyla's upper arm, lightly but forcefully leading her away. Kyla tugged her arm out of the woman's grasp, trying to get back to Lana. The woman lifted the small girl into her arms, and headed out of the court room. Kyla kicked and screamed, struggling to get out of her grasp.

"No, Mommy! Mommy!" The moment Lana felt Clark wrap his arms around her; she broke down sobbing, with her daughter's heart-wrenching cries echoing in her head. Lois felt tears rolling down her cheeks, her cousin keeping a death grip on her hand.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mike watching them, the triumphant smirk obvious even from where she was standing.

hr 

"Jess, I'm assuming you have the kid from the Lang case?" Derek Robson, one of her colleagues, asked as he looked through a one-way window and into one of the play-rooms. The little girl sat in a corner, staring blankly at a wall. Jessica Adams was a social worker.

"She's been like that for about thirty minutes. She stopped crying on the way here, and then," Jessica broke off nodding to the girl. The woman ran her fingers through her dirty-blonde hair, sighing.

"Kyla Bennett, right?" Derek kept her eyes on the small child, taking in her appearance swiftly. She really was a very adorable kid. Dark brown hair, green-hazel eyes, lightly tanned skin. "Has she been examined by Lila?"

"When we got here, that was the first thing I did." Jess tore her brown eyes from Kyla, looking up at her co-worker. "We found a hell of lot of bruising on her arms and ribs. There was this one greenish bruise that hasn't faded as much as the others, but other than that, she's perfectly healthy."

"I guess she's just stressed from being taken away from her parents." Derek suggested as she went back to watching her charge.

"Parent." Jess corrected quietly.

"Huh?"

"She was living with her mother, Lana Lang. You should've seen her when I tried to take her away. Kyla was screaming and really putting up a fight. I have the feeling she wouldn't have wanted to get back to someone who hurt her. Her father is a different matter. I'm positive that he's the abuser, even if his lawyer claimed that the mother was responsible for Kyla's injuries." Jess told him, her mind going over the hearing again, checking everything. "All the signs are there."

hr 

hr 

**Chapter VIII**

Mike Bennett was in a very good mood. He had successfully bribed the judge into making sure to separate his ex-wife and her little freak of a kid. Good thing too. If that kid had stayed with Lana for much longer, she might have begun to learn about her abilities, and he just couldn't have that now, could he? If she learned how to control her powers, she might try to fight back.

The first time he had figured out what his daughter could do was one time when Lana had been at work while they were married. Kyla had been playing with some clay, and then 'poof' sparks flew from her hand and a tiny plastic container of green clay that was out of her reach had floated over to her.

He had ignored Lana taking care of Kyla for a couple of months, but then he had spotted her playing outside the Daily Planet building a week or so ago with a dark haired man. When the man had turned away for a few seconds, Kyla had pointed to a tiny, rubber ball that was nestled by the curb of the street in a pile of leaves and junk. The ball had vanished and then reappeared in her hands. It was then that Mike found that his daughter was realizing that she had the power to control her abilities.

Now that the brat was in Social Services, she would be to traumatized and distressed to focus on nurturing her control. He smirked as she sat in his ragged recliner with a beer bottle in his left hand. Ah, yes, now life was truly good for him.

hr 

Jess was nervous.

She had taken the little Lang girl to several potential foster parents, but none of them had clicked. Kyla had been extremely tense and uncomfortable with each set of parents, always cringing away whenever they tried to touch her. Jess had to find her foster parents; the judge had been on her back since the young child had arrived five days earlier.

"You get to see your mother again today, kid." Jess whispered as she watched Kyla playing around with clay. Lana Lang had called her a few hours earlier. She had heard the underlying sadness in her voice even though she was attempting to be cheerful and pleasant.

"Her mum's coming today, right Jess?" Derek asked, one of his hands resting on her shoulder. She nodded, feeling a pang in her chest at the obvious despair on the little girl's face.

hr 

Clark and Chloe flanked a nervous Lana as they walked into the Social Services building as planned. It had been killing Lana not to see her daughter almost every second of the day. She was glad that Clark and Chloe had been able to take the time to go with her to see her precious little girl. Lois was busy investigating the suspicious Custody hearing and the judge. She had told Perry that it was a huge story, and he had agreed and had her working on a couple of minutes after she suggested it.

"Hello, we're here to see Jessica Adams." Clark said a man who was sorting through various folders and papers. The man examined them for a couple of seconds before turning and calling "Jess, people are here to see you!"

The same woman who had taken Kyla from her in the courtroom what seemed like weeks earlier approached them. She held out her hand and introduced herself.

"I'm Jessica, you're daughter is back in our playroom." Jess motioned for the trio to follow her. The moment she opened the door to the playroom, Lana shot in to her daughter. Chloe and Clark followed, but were much more subtle and quiet. Kyla stared at her mother for a second, seeming surprised, before she shot over to her mother. Lana picked her daughter up into her arms securely.

"Mommy!" Kyla clung onto her mom for dear life, crying. "Mommy! I thought you hated me! You left me…" The girl said in a small, gut-wrenching voice, her entire body trembling. Lana felt her heart break at the sound of her little daughter's voice. She gently shushed the child, rocking her in her arms.

Chloe felt tears prick at the corner of her eyes, but hurriedly forced them back. She didn't want this to be any harder than it already was for Lana and Kyla. The intrepid reporter glanced sideways at her coworker.

Chloe's cell phone started vibrating in her jeans pocket. She slipped it out of her pocket and slipped it open. "Chloe Sullivan."

"Hey, Chlo, I have some dirt on that judge." Lois told her cousin, her voice clearly giving away her smugness. "Somebody saw Mike and the judge, Christopher McAdams; get together at a café two days before the hearing. Mike gave McAdams a manila envelope, and then they went their separate ways."

"Suspicious. Keep me posted."

"Will do."

Chloe closed her phone and dropped it back into her pocket. Lana and Clark were sitting with Kyla, talking to her as she played with clay. If all went well, Mike would be put in jail for child-abuse and bribery, Kyla would be returned to her mother where she belonged, and Judge McAdams would hopefully be properly, uh, disciplined or whatever.

-

A couple of hours after Kyla's visit with her mother and friends, Jessica had finally found what she thought was the perfect foster home. Kyla had reacted well when she had told them about them. So now it was time to meet them. If they clicked, then Kyla would stay there for a twenty-four hours, she would check in again, and then they would officially be Kyla's foster parents.

"Hello, this is Kyla." Jess introduced the girl to her prospective foster parents, the James's. "Kyla this is Mr. Andrew James and Mrs. Heather James."

Kyla examined them warily and then followed them quietly when they led her into the living room. Jess smiled to herself, pleased with the ways things were going.

hr 

Lana narrowed her eyes and concentrating on a candle, her fingers splayed in the air, palms facing the candle. She was attempting to teach herself how to develop her powers without going all psycho-bitch Isobel. So far…she hadn't even been able to use them.

'_Burn…burn…do something…._' She thought, willing something to happen. Her thoughts trailed to Mike, and immediately indigo sparks slammed into the candle, knocking it over.

"Okay, anger equals trigger. Got it." She muttered under her breath. The phone started ringing and her hand shot out, picking it up. "Hello?"

"Miss Lang, its Jessica Adams from Social Services. I have good news." Jessica sounded very happy.

"Yes? How's Kyla?"

"We've placed her with a foster family."

Okay, in her head. That didn't count as good news. Her daughter had a new family.


	5. IX & X

**Chapter IX**

"She has a new family, she has a new family, she has a new family-" Lana kept muttering under her breath, her mind only focused on her daughter. Clark sat on the couch, watching her pace back and forth in front of him. He wasn't really sure what he should do.

"Lana," The woman ignored him, still pacing around erratically. "Lana!" This caught her attention. She stopped in front of him, curious.

"Kyla would never accept this couple as your replacement. You're her mother. No one can replace you in her life." Clark assured her, sounding confident. Lana smiled weakly, nodding.

"Yeah, you—you're probably right, Clark. Thanks."

hr 

Kyla watched this new adult in her life closely. After the first few attempts Jessica had made to try and get her to like the other strange, new families, she had finally realized that the woman had no intention of taking her back to her mommy. Obviously, these people weren't returning her anytime soon.

So, she would simply have to get away from these adults and find her own way back to her rightful mommy, where she belonged. She had the perfect opportunity to put her plan into action since the new man, Mr. James, was taking her to the grocery store as she went over her plan in her young mind.

The car slowed to a halt in the parking lot and the man turned off the ignition, getting out of the car. He opened up her door and lifted her out of the seat, setting her carefully on the cement. Mr. James took her by the hand and led her into the store. Kyla followed with no complaint, knowing that she could get back to her mommy without this guy catching her.

The second the man became immersed in shopping and started forgetting about her presence, Kyla silently scurried down the aisle, out of sight. The moment she slipped out of the store she looked around. She had a little problem. She had no idea how to get around Metropolis. Deciding to go before Mr. James came searching for her, Kyla ran as fast as she could out into the unknown depths of the city.

hr 

Jessica had been having a good day. Placed two children into good foster families, and managed to save three others from abusive homes. She had finished a lot of paper work and had time to spare.

Then she got the phone call.

It was Mr. James, sounding panicky. Apparently, he had taken Kyla with him to go shopping, and at some point she just disappeared. He couldn't find her anywhere in or around the store.

The entire office was now buzzing with the news that a little girl had gone missing. She could have been kidnapped, gotten lost, or she had runaway. The last option seemed very unlikely, considering her age.

The judge who had been on the Lang/Bennett case had called her three times already to rant at her. She wondered why he cared so much about this particular case. It was rather suspicious.

Jess jerked her mind back to the task at hand, talking to Mr. James. She really, REALLY needed to find this kid. It was imperative. She suddenly thought about what Ms. Lang's response to this would be a felt like banging her head against her desk.

It was going to be a very long day.

hr 

Chloe, Clark and Lana were all sitting on the couch comfortably, watching TV. Clark yawned as the Lifetime movie, The Dive from Clausen's Pier, ended. Lana was snuggled up against him, sleepy and warm. Chloe was happy to be there with them, but even happier about the direction her two best friends were going in. If they continued on like this, they would be together in no time. Sadly, Lois had had to continue working on the Custody story for Perry.

Clark picked up the controller and flipped through the channels, only vaguely watching what was on.

"-Bulldogs are up by fifteen and-"

"-Buffy, no-"

"-Leo! Get your ass down here, **now**! -"

"-Pikachu-" Clark raised an eyebrow in disbelief as he passed this show. There were no kids up at this time of night to watch it.

"-Ooh, bagel hockey-"

"-Cheetah catches its prey-"

"-Cordelia, what are-"

"-Rory, it means they think you look like-"

"-In other news, a five year old girl has gone missing." Clark paused on this channel, listening closely. Lana was slowly started to drift off, and Chloe was watching with only mild interest. A picture of the girl appeared onscreen. "Kyla Bennett was shopping with her foster father at 2:30 this afternoon. A couple of minutes after entering the store, she vanished. If you have any information please call-"

By now Lana was staring at the screen in horror. Chloe and Clark were also gazing at the picture. First Lana had her daughter taken away from her, and now the family that the Social Services placed her little girl with had managed to lose her?

"Kyla…" Lana whispered staring at the television. Chloe pulled out her cell phone and hurriedly called her cousin. If she played her cards right, Kyla would be on the front page of the Daily Planet.

hr 

Kyla shivered, her clothes soaked from the ongoing downpour. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea, but she just had to get back to her mommy. Her abilities weren't really working at the moment, and she couldn't figure out why.

The tiny girl ran into an alley, hoping to find some kind of shelter. Luckily for her, there was a door to an abandoned apartment building. She scurried inside the dark and dank building, cold and completely lost.

She climbed onto the only piece of furniture in the room. An old, dark red couch that had many assorted tears. Kyla snuggled down and curled into a tiny ball for warmth. It only took her fifteen minutes to fall asleep. After all, she had been wandering around for at least seven hours straight.

Unknown to the sleeping child, a man in his early thirties with blonde-brown hair was standing in the doorway, watching her through light brown eyes. He walked over with a ragged blanket in his arms. After laying the blanket comfortably over her, he retreated back up the stairs.

Kyla continued sleeping, unconsciously gripping the blanket tightly in her tiny fist. She was in for a long day.

hr 

hr 

**Chapter X**

_I'm turning thirteen tomorrow. Wow, so much has happened since that one night. Seems like a lifetime ago, thinking about it now. It turned out to be a blessing for me to run away like that. If I haven't explained it enough, let's add another notch to the tally. So, after the whole social services thing, I escaped from my foster father and somehow ended up here, with David. Best decision I've ever made. For the first three years, I tried to find my way back to my mother. David made me realize that it would be better for me if just stayed with him. He's looked out for me, taken care of me all these years. Turns out that David's really good with computers. He got a job about a year after I met him. We've even got a house in the suburbs. He taught me everything I'd ever need to know. Anyway, I finally realized that it would be better for my health, if I just stayed away from my mother and Mike. I wonder what would have happened if I had gone back? More abuse, more betrayal, etc. Right? Mum has probably given up on searching for me by now. I has, after all, been almost eight years. Well, eight years tomorrow. Something about the neighborhood we live in feels familiar. I don't go out much, David thinks someone will recognize me and take me away. I go to school, get good grades come home. That's about it, except for vacations. I wonder if I look like my mother. I don't know, I don't remember what she looks like. I don't even remember her name or anything else about that life, except for Mike. Anyway, I should be going, I'll write again tomorrow or something._

Kyla shut her notebook and slid it under her mattress. She checked the time on her clock. 7:10 A.M. The teen snatched up her backpack and headed down the stairs. True, she still had fifty more minutes until she had to get to the school, but she liked to get an early start.

"Early bird catches the worm." She sang quietly to herself as she touched down on the landing. Her black and white cat, Gaia, purred and rubbed up against her ankles, her way of saying that she was ready to eat.

"C'mon, Gaia, time for breakfast." She cooed to her cat as she led her into the kitchen.

hr 

Lana Lang sat on her windowsill, staring out at the cloudy, ominous sky. It mirrored how she was feeling. Tomorrow, September fifteenth, would be her daughter's thirteenth birthday. Almost eight years ago, those idiots at CFS had placed her daughter in the care of a couple that lost her. Lana was still searching for her little girl. She just wanted to know if she was alive.

The only good thing that had happened since then was she had gotten married to Clark Kent, one of the Daily Planet's ace reporters. Chloe and Pete, along with their daughter Maria, had been there at the wedding.

Kyla would be the same age as Maria. If she was alive and going to school, she would be in the same grade as the Ross' daughter, with the slim chance that they went to the same school. But…

Lana shook this thought away. It was hopeful thinking, which often led to disappointment. Also, another big thing that had happened, Mike was sent to jail.

The police finally realized that Mike has abused her daughter and bribed the judge. The judge had also been sent to prison, for accepting the bribe and endangering a child's life.

A little too late now, though, wasn't it?

hr 

Maria scurried into her Advanced Algebra class, only seconds before the bell rang. She glanced around, spotted her best friends, and slid into the seat between them. Seth Olsen and Caroline Rangel.

They had met in second grade and been thick as thieves ever since. Maria and Caroline were on the same soccer team, and Seth and she both wanted to be journalists. They did almost everything together.

"Rachel?"

"Here"

"James?"

"Here."

Their teacher, Mrs. Fortune, was taking attendance.

"Alyssa?"

"Here."

Maria flipped up her notebook open and started working on the math warm-up that was written on the board.

" Kyla?"

"Here."

Maria, as always, looked over at the girl in question. Everytime she heard that particular girl's name, she always looked up. There was just something oddly familiar about her, she just couldn't remember what and it annoyed her to no end. She also reminded her of someone, one of her mother's friends.

"It's your birthday tomorrow, right Kyla?" Mrs. Fortune asked, smiling. She was nearly everybody's favorite teacher. She was funny and she really, really made her class as fun as possible.

"Yes, ma'am. Thirteenth."

hr 

"Did I know anybody named Kyla?" Chloe's head jerked up to gaze at her daughter, curiosity etched on her face. She traded glances with her husband, shifting uncertainly.

"When you were, uhm, little. Yeah." Chloe stopped there, hoping the subject would be dropped.

"Where is she?" Maria's eyes flickered from her mother to her father. She wanted to know why they were so intent on avoiding this subject.

"She disappeared when she was five. No body even knows if she's alive." Pete answered so that Chloe wouldn't have to talk about it. "She was the daughter of one of your mother's friends, Lana."

"Why are you just asking about it now?" Chloe asked quietly.

"I--" She paused. "Are you sure she's gone?"

"Yeah, we're actually printing a story on her tomorrow. If she's alive, it's her thirteenth birthday."

Maria bit her lip, toying with her mashed potatoes for a couple of minutes before speaking. "I don't think she's dead." The teen looked up at her parents.

"I think—I think she's in my class."

hr 

"Oh my god."

Lana gaped at the picture in Maria's yearbook from her sixth grade year. She blinked and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. Above the name KYLA GREENE was an almost exact replica of herself at that age, except for a few slight differences.

The girl featured in the picture had a distinctly tomboyish look to her, mostly in what little she could see of the shirt she was wearing. Her dark chocolate hair was parted at the side. The top that she word had the name of some obscure band or other, Lana really couldn't tell what it was.

Chloe lightly squeezed her friend's hand comfortingly as she stared at the picture. It did look like Lana. Eerily so, in fact.

"Is it possible? I don't want to be-" Lana broke off, lifting her shining green eyes to look desperately at Clark and Chloe.

"We can find out."


	6. XI

**Chapter XIII**

"Talk about identity crisis." Lana sighed, after silently checking in on her estranged daughter, who was, at the moment, fast asleep in her room. Her husband was asleep on the couch after a long days work.

After those long years feeling lost and helpless and worrying about her little Kyla, she was back. She had her precious daughter back in her life. There was just a tiny complication. Kyla apparently couldn't quite remember her, at least not in the front of her mind. Perhaps, buried deep somewhere in her mind….

Lana sat down by the window sill, smirking wryly at the dark, swirling clouds overhead and the insistent pounding of the rain. She curled up by the window sill, drawing a black blanket around her.

hr 

Flashes were flickering through her mind.

A tornado. Clark Kent. Freezing rain. Running into an abandoned building. Sleeping on an old couch. Fear. Pain. Mike Bennett. Mike screaming and punching her. A woman carrying her out of a courtroom. David bruising her arm out of anger. Maria Sullivan. Countess Margerét Isobel Theroux.

Lana.

Her mother's soothing voice.

Lana Lang.

A sudden, hot, searing pain as her arm was burned on a white hot piece of metal.

She screamed.

Lana jerked out of her rather uncomfortably doze and immediately headed to Kyla's room. Clark could sleep through an earthquake. Lana entered her daughter's room and gently tried to calm her daughter, her hands lightly pressing on her arms. Almost at once, Kyla's eyes snapped open and she jerked away, falling off the bed.

The mother panicked slightly, before catching sight of the ugly black, green and blue bruises on either of Kyla's arms. No wonder she had pulled away. Those must feel completely awful.

Kyla settled herself back on her bed, putting a good distance between her and Lana. She regarded her mother closely, silent.

"You really are my mother." She said shortly, her green-hazel eyes betraying her lingering confusion.

hr 

**Four Months Later**

Maria Sullivan-Ross sighed, staring at the clear blue sky. It was a relaxing Sunday afternoon, and she was lying on the grass on the side on a hill. Her life had been so hectic since she had pointed out that Kyla was in her class. She, her mother and father had helped Clark and Lana slowly associate Kyla with her new surroundings.

Kyla had been extremely skittish the first three weeks. Not that she could blame her; after all she had been through. Being abused as a child, taken away from her mother, having magical powers, getting taken in by an unsuitable man and raised by him, thinking that she always had to earn his approval and forgiveness.

Maria snorted darkly as she thought about David. The unstable man had been put in prison, and was currently serving his fifty year sentence on the counts of kidnapping, assault, forging legal documents, and fraud.

On a happier note, Clark and Lana were expecting a baby girl. They planned on naming her Laura Chloe Martha Kent. Kyla seemed thrilled about becoming a big sister. Finally having a bit of normalcy in her life was a big step.

Maria had properly introduced Kyla to her friends Seth Olsen and Caroline Rangel. The second they were all in a group, they seemed to become the quartet, as her mother called them. They were nearly inseparable.

And the three girls were on the same soccer team. They were really, really good too. Kyla was middle back, Maria was right forward and Caroline played right midfield.

"Maria?"

She looked up, and saw Kyla and Caroline standing a few feet away. "We're meeting Seth at the movies. Cry Wolf. You coming?"

Maria rolled her eyes overdramatically and got to her feet.

"Of course I'm coming. I've wanted to see that movie since it came out." She linked their arms together good-naturedly.

"Movie time, girls!"

hr 

Very short ending, but I didn't want to change it.


End file.
